Comcast’s Kryptonite Discovered

How to Cut your Comcast Bill

I was 0-for-2 in previous attempts with Comcast to get a break on my cable bill. I had no leverage. Comcast knows that they’re the only cable provider game in town, which doesn’t give you much in the way of price negotiation power. Well, it some locales, that’s not true anymore.

Recently, AT&T has rolled out their U-Verse cable service in my area. I decided to do some price comparisons. I found out that I could get an equivalent plan through U-Verse for about $20 cheaper than what I was paying with Comcast. A very similar service at a cheaper price – that’s Comcast’s kryptonite! Here’s how I got my cable bill lowered and how you can too.

1. Research Comcast & Competitor Deals

You want to know exactly how much your current plan would cost with other providers. This is your leverage. You can try the nice and charming route or raise your hands and scream and shout, but if you don’t have pricing leverage, you won’t get anywhere.

2. Ask for a Comcast ‘Retention Specialist’

These are the guys/gals who have the power to cut you a deal. A regular customer service rep. won’t do anything for you. This is the problem that I ran into before.

3. Tell Comcast that you want to Cancel

Be resolute. You’re not ‘considering canceling’. You are switching to their competitor because they have lower prices.

4. Get Ready for the Negotiations

Since, I was already half way out the door, I was offered a $15/mo. discount immediately, the next highest tier of service, and Showtime. Not bad for starters.

5. Watch out for Add-Ons

You will probably get offered something you don’t want (i.e. Showtime). Realize that this is just an add on masquerading as part of a package deal. It’s not. If you don’t want an add-on, be adamant about it. I was given another $5 off. I didn’t fight the higher tier because there were a few channels I wanted.

6. The End Result: I Save Money on Comcast!

The end result was $20 off and more service. I was happy with that.

7. If at First you don’t Succeed, Try Again

This was my third attempt before success. The good news if you don’t succeed is that you can always try back again later, with more experience and knowledge about the objections you will get. A little competition in the marketplace is always a good thing.

Comcast Bill Discussion:

Have you had success in negotiating with Comcast or a similar cable provider?

Have you given up cable completely due to their rigid price structure?

26 Comments »

I switched to U-Verse over a year ago, as my monthly bill including cable and Internet was more than $30 less than with Comcast. Not only that, but the included DVR is great, the service includes 3 receivers, whole home DVR (watch recorded programs from any receiver), tons of HD channels, 4 recordings at once (including 2 HD), and I could go on. Competition is a great thing!

This techique works…. I’ve tried it with DirecTV with similar results… lower rates for a period of time, increased programming, free DVR reciever. You just have to be willing to walk.

Also, trying more than one rep and getting to the retention specialist is key. I’ve often found when dealing with a customer service rep that it’s easier to end the call and try again than to argue with a rep. I’ve ended a call as soon as the rep says hello because I can sense an attitude in their voice.

I just tried to get out of a contract with DirecTV. I called and canceled my service of $75/mo. They called back and said they’d give me free movie channels for 6 months at a price of $45/mo. I was happy, but when the bill arrived yesterday it was still at $75 a month. Needless to say I’m furious.

I am stuck with no cable option outside comcast (satellite is available but I don’t like satellite). I have gotten some introductory offers a couple times. I am sure it is coming up time that it will end again. Things is I am willing to cut off all television down to super basic 10 channels, but I must have my internet. They are ridiculous for just internet service alone!

I’ve tried twice in the past few months to negotiate my Comcast bill. I have the Triple Play package which runs me $150/month. Today, just randomly, I decided I was wasting money with my home phone (I only get wrong numbers and everyone calls my cell anyway) so I called up Comcast to drop that service. Didn’t expect any big changes but the rep was EXTREMELY helpful and looked up different pricing options for me and offered me $97/month for cable and internet (I still get all my channels and HBO) and am locked in for 2 years. I’m so psyched I’m saving around $50/month! I didn’t even plan on trying to negotiate my bill again but it just worked out in my favor this time!

Every 6 months, I stop at the local comcast office and ask what deal they can give me,
2months ago they gave me a $20.00 amonth discount for 12 vmonths plus HBO & Starz for a year for free.
Anytime I’ve gone in and asked, I’ve gotten a decent discount.
You have to ask. I’ve told my friends and they got the same deals.

Nice, useful site. Thanks. Several years ago when I switched from Comcast to Dish to save $$, I called Comcast to cancel and they switched me to what I later learned was a “retention specialist.” She offered me deal slightly better than what I’d just negotiated with Dish. But deal was done, so I stayed with Dish for a year, then switched back to Comcast. After the first year of promotional rate on cable with all the goodies at $47, I had to do it again, but got a retention specialist in a good mood (or with a retention quota) who upped the price to $53 but added more movies and a critical sports channel. Now I’m about to go into the trenches again. Wish me luck.

I called Cox Cable a long time ago cause I was paying $130 a month. Complained and even had the service cancelled! But they called me back the next day and offered me the same thing for $75 a month (cable service AND internet).

When you call Comcast, make sure to choose the phone menu option for cancellation – You will often get to a human being on the first ring! I always bluff and tell them I’m switching to fios even though it hasn’t made it to my neighborhood yet [although it is about 300 yards from here]. Most of the promotions only last 6mo so you have to call twice a year. If you forget to call after 6mo, make sure they make the change retroactive to the time of your previous bill.

I can’t believe you had luck with Comcast. I don’t have a TV and I use the internet only, so you would think I’d have a good deal with Comcast and then you’d be wrong. For the past year my “internet only” service cost me $38.49 per month. I thought this was pretty high and I’d been watching my bills like a hawk because they’re notorious for raising rates without warning.

And then yesterday I opened a bill to find my rate had gone up to $65 a month. For internet ONLY! This is higher than the regular priced service mentioned on their website.They only give discounts to people who purchase bundle services. I totally confused the customer service rep when I told him I don’t have a landline and I don’t own a TV. After telling them I was going to switch to AT&T the best they could offer me was $45 a month. The rep said “we can’t do any *permanent* discounts”. I think they fleece people who buy one service only to cover those who get discounts on HD TV. Either that, or they’re thieves.

I am going to be getting into the trenchs with comcast as of tomorrow. THey had told me when I had changed my service to a better package that because of the missed appointments for installs and also not having anything other then the basic cable and internet. I had to wait for 1 1/2 months to finally get my service connected correctly they have now stuck me with a $500 dollar bill for all of the work and missed appointments and for all the services. Please I need to get some help and figure out how to win this battle with them.

@saikio08: calmly discuss the confusion, show how it was the business’s responsibility, not yours.
Tell them you would like to cancel your service because of the way you were treated (they will try to retain you). if that doesn’t work, tell them you’ll be taking your claim to the better business bureau. And then go on the BBB site and file it.

Im a former cable watcher and I think this guy is funny. He doesnt get that: most shows can be watched online, digital local programing isnt half bad if you have a decent antenna, and that with a powered usb hub Magicjack is more then reasonable at 20 bucks a month (the only real differnce if find is putting in area code). btw wait for the magicjack plus which plugs into your modem not computer (power saver) works on my yahoo DSL.

Back to topic. I believe it s a sign of nerviousness and a attempt to discredit the posters.

Most channels will post their current shows online. Hulu. The Windows media center has online television and has a TVo aspect to it which is useful with a TV. tuner inside.

One last thing I have parents that have comcast still. While I lived there I got a email address. Now that I dont live there I still can watch the Xfinity. Whom get their shows from 3rd parties ironicly lol

To quote some one a favored television show: Its not a threat. Its a promise.

Hi Retention Specialist,
Comcast has told me more than once that they don’t have a Retention Specialist or Retention Dept. In fact, one time, someone at Comcast told me that the Rentention Dept had been discontinued and “does not exist anymore.” Why will Comcast lie to their customers like this? Futher, why tell lies that are obviously untrue??

G.E., how do you get through to Comcast reps? If one works an 8-6 job, like I do, yet Comcast (our, in my case, Cox) only bothers to answer the phone from 8-6, how do you suggest someone call and argue? I’m all for doing that, but my problem is, even if I take an hour for lunch, I’m usually on hold for longer than an hour just trying to talk to them.

And, of course, they’re not open on the weekends. What do you suggest? Take a day off work?

To their credit, Comcast has chat, and they are pretty quick about getting someone on the line, so I usually just call from a conference or phone room at work or Saturdays from home. May take a bit of maneuvering, but it’s worth the time spent. I just did it again this last weekend. =)

I heard that Comcast has a special internet deal for college students, but that they don’t advertise or make it readily available on purpose. I have spent two days trying to locate information on this. I have found info that it does exist, but no real proof to have on hand when I decide to call in. The only thing I keep running into is the low-income program for parents that have a student in school – that’s not me.

Dynamite post. I was able to go from paying $60 per month for 25 mbps internet with Comcast to a package with 75 channels, HD package, 100 mbps internet, DVR & HBO for $66 per month. As always, many thanks G.E.